Discovering Life Through Good Wine and Good Food

Wine Coolers: Preparing for Summer Wine Season

Last week a heat wave hit Seattle. I couldn’t let the 80+ degree temperatures (in April!) go to waste, so I reached for a bottle of Rosé. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard by the summer-like conditions. I had to think fast and throw my wine in the freezer for a quick blast of cool, before settling on semi-chilled wine.

At least I had a full glass in hand while watching the sunset.

The freezer method worked (kinda) for the moment, but it is not a long term solution. What I really need is a wine cooler. Something to keep my wine at the correct temperature, ready to drink at a moments notice. Like many, I tend to chill wine only when needed, so my fridge isn’t too full and my food isn’t fighting for space with my wine.

I have to make sure the wine cooler isn’t too big either. I want something that will fit under my counter, and look sleek and sophisticated. Oh, and don’t forget budget friendly. And come to think of it, if I can find one that holds reds too, I can free up some storage space on my wine racks.

With a very specific list of requirements and not much extra time on my hands, my best option was to use a review site. There are many review sites out there, but I find Reviews.com to be one of the most thorough and the easiest to use. And once again, Reviews.com did not disappoint.

In their Best Wine Cooler Reviews article, I not only found a wine cooler that I think will work best for me, I also learned quite a bit about wine coolers. For instance, my under the counter wine cooler location isn’t necessarily the best idea:

Freestanding wine coolers, which vent to the rear, overheat if they are under a counter or directly against a wall — although some models can still be recessed as long as they have a few inches of clearance on the sides, rear, and top.

Looks like I need to find a different location for my wine cooler. Maybe next to me at the table??

I also appreciate they used different sized bottles when testing the wine coolers. Some days, I feel like every bottle of wine I have is a different shape or size. I don’t know how many times I have had to squeeze champagne next to the milk in my refrigerator.

After reading the research thoroughly, I have decided a Dual-Zone wine cooler is the best, such as the Sunpentown Dual-Zone. This way, both reds and whites are ready on a moments notice. I will be prepared for a surprise visitor, another warm, sunny day or just a relaxing glass of wine after a long day of work.

As for the location of the wine cooler? That is for my husband to figure out. After all, I did the heavy lifting to find the wine cooler that is just right.